Manager-Employee Relationships are the Glue That Keeps a Team Together

Managers play a pivotal role in employee job satisfaction and engagement. In fact, they account for 70% of the variance in team engagement, according to Gallup. And there are no shortcuts when it comes to relationships. They take time and intentionality.

But for managers to meet workers’ evolving expectations and prioritize these interactions, they need preparation and support from their workplaces.  The right management incentives, ongoing management education and clarity around employee promotions, raises and benefits will help managers focus on these vital relationships.

 

Employee workplace expectations evolve

At its most basic, work is simply the exchange of a wage for a job completed. But most of us learn in our first jobs that there’s much more to it than that. For example, a lifeguarding job is straight forward: Watch the pool and keep swimmers safe. But your 20-year-old boss is new to the management game, adhering to an inflexible scheduling system, hasn’t said two words to you since day one, and vanishes when it’s time to clean.

This is where an employee first realizes the expectations they have for their managers.

It’s natural to compare one job to the next, one boss to the next – and our expectations evolve as we go. Most worker expectations fit into three buckets: Stability, clear communication and empathy.  Breaking these categories down, you’ll find things like fair wages, competitive benefits, work-life balance, job security, growth, appreciation, autonomy, fairness, flexibility, and more.

Are these expectations realistic? Whether they are or not, they’re the reality of today’s competitive job market and directly correlated to how well a company performs. According to McKinsey & Company data, 39% of job satisfaction comes from our interpersonal relationships. And employee-management relationship drives 86% of that satisfaction. 

 

Register now for Inspiring Loyalty: The Secrets of Employee Retention, a live, online course.

 

How organizations can help managers create stronger relationships with employees

1. Recognize managers’ contributions to employee satisfaction. Productivity and profit are often the focus of financial incentives or recognition for managers. But, does this drive the behavior that creates a supportive environment for employees, thereby making your organization a place where people flourish and want to work long term?
   
   If organizations want managers to prioritize employee satisfaction, development and retention as key to long-term productivity, it’s important to consider the alignment of incentives and that they’re measuring things managers can influence. Prioritizing employee satisfaction means managers must lead with others in mind, staying aware of individual employee needs and supporting their professional growth paths. This takes time and is challenging if they’re managing too many people.  

 

2. Offer ongoing management education and connection.  The goal of “developing strong manager-employee relationships” is vague, making it hard to decide what can actually create these successful relationships. The objective isn’t to create a warm, family feeling, but rather a place where people feel valued and respected, and trust their managers. Ongoing management education can help managers feel supported, rather than left to solve this problem on their own.
   
   Another tactic to help support managers as they focus on relationships with workers is to create spaces for them to connect with other managers across departments. This allows them to seek advice and share struggles and successes with others facing similar challenges.

 

3. Have clear processes and paths for promotions and raises. In their quest to build stronger relationships with employees and meet expectations, managers’ hands are often tied when it comes to resources and funding. Can I offer someone a raise or incentive? Can I provide training for someone who is showing interest in a new responsibility? Managers want to keep their employees around and growing. When there are clear paths, rather than red tape, they can more easily advocate for their best employees and have transparent conversations.

 

Organizations everywhere are tuning in to what employees expect from jobs and how to strengthen one key component – the employee-manager relationship. Consider how you’re supporting your managers’ efforts so they can lead teams to success.

 

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